The Lagos State Ministry of Health through a Taskforce on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods has shut 20 pharmacies and patent medicine stores for illegal practices.
This was contained in a statement released on Thursday by Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, the spokesperson for the ministry. Mr Ogunbanwo said in the statement that affected pharmacies and patent medicine stores were shut for contravening regulations guiding the operations of pharmacies and patent medicine stores, including indulging in illegal practices and failing to comply with regulatory standard.
He said the enforcement and compliance raid was a joint operation by the Task force on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods, the, Pharmacists’ Council of Nigeria , Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria , Federal Taskforce on fake drugs and the Police Officers from Environmental and Special Offences Unit of Lagos Police Command.
According to the Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, the affected pharmacies and patent medicine shops were sealed for offences including “inappropriate storage conditions of drugs, absence of licenced pharmacists during business hours, selling of drugs not on the approved list and the display of expired drugs for sale.”